The present disclosure relates to gaming and to card games, and more particularly, to a card game in which a number of players play against one another or against a casino or card room.
Numerous card games are known in the prior art. One of the most popular card games is blackjack. There are three wagering formats common in card games involving wagering. The first is wagering against the casino (the Nevada model). The second format is wagering against the other players for: a common pool (the Poker model). The third format is wagering against a designated player (the California model).
In states where there is casino gambling, most wagering is against the casino. In blackjack, for example, each player is dealt a hand, and a hand is dealt for the casino. If the player loses, the casino collects the money. If the player wins, the casino pays the player. The casino makes money when the players lose more than they win. This type of wagering is currently illegal in states such as California, due to a statutory prohibition of “banking” games. Under present California law, the gaming establishment can hold no interest in the outcome of a wager.
In poker and poker-type games, the players do not wager against the house. The players are playing against each other. All the wagers are placed in a common pool (the pot), and the player with the best hand wins all the money wagered on the deal. In poker-type games, the gaming establishment makes money by taking a “Collection.” This is a fee collected by the gaming establishment either for each hand or for each half-hour of play. In Nevada, the collection may be a fixed amount or a percentage of the pool. In California, the collection must be a fixed amount (except for pari-mutual horse racing). A typical collection would be about $1 for each hand, charged to each player. A typical time collection might be about $8 per half hour for a poker game where the bets and raises are limited to about $30. This form of wagering is mostly used for poker and pan (a form of rummy).
Pai Gow, a Chinese wagering game played with tiles, introduced a new wagering model to California card rooms. However, this model is familiar to anyone who has played blackjack with friends rather than in a casino. It is something of a hybrid between the California and Poker models. For each hand, one of the players is designated the “Dealer,” and all the other players are trying to beat the Dealer. If the player beats the Dealer, the player wins and is paid off from the Dealer's wager. If the Dealer has a better hand than the player, the Dealer wins the player's wager.
Each player has the option to play the role of Dealer. Typically, a player is the Dealer for two hands. Then, the option is offered to the next player on the left to become Dealer, or pass the option on to the next player. There are other equivalent ways to handle the Dealer option with respect to the direction of pass (i.e., rotate to the right, etc.) and duration of Dealer status (i.e., one, three, or more hands).
The Dealer is not bound by any table limit. The Dealer frequently bets enough to cover the bets of all the players at the table. However, the Dealer is not required to make any bet other than the table minimum.
On every hand, dice are shaken and the order of payoffs is determined. This decides how the wagers are settled if the Dealer is not wagering enough money to cover all the bets made by the other player. An alternative method is to always start payoffs with the player on the Dealer's left.
The Dealer does not actually deal the cards or settle the wagers the way a Nevada blackjack dealer would. These functions are handled by a gaming establishment employee commonly called the “House Dealer.” Throughout this document, the term “Dealer” will refer to the player against whom the other players are wagering. The term “House Dealer” will refer to the gaming establishment employee who actually deals the cards and runs the game.
Blackjack is illegal in California. However, a number of games that resemble blackjack have been invented that have been found to be legal in California. All of these games fall into one of two categories: 1) The games play to a target of 22 instead of 21; or 2) The games introduce jokers into the deck. Some games are a combination of these two types of games. In addition, the games typically introduce complex methods of deciding who wins when the player exceeds the target.
To be successful in the California market, games must not only be legal, but there must also be a significant advantage for the dealer. Under the “California Wagering Model”, players are offered the option to act as the Dealer and other players compete against this Dealer. The house cannot play this role under California law and no single player can act as the Dealer for many consecutive hands. In order for a game to proceed, at least two players at the table must take the option to be the Dealer. To encourage this, successful California games typically have an advantage for the Dealer of about 1% to about 2%. This is significantly larger than the house advantage in conventional blackjack.